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Wall tiling

Wall tiling labour costs £20 to £40 per m² in MyJobQuote's 2026 bathroom guide and about £50 per m² as Checkatrade's average, so allow £20 to £50 per m² before tiles. Checkatrade says a tiler covers 10 to 15 m² of wall a day. The wall behind the tile sets what can go on it.

Illustration: a feature wall of green hexagon tiles that thin out into scattered tiles towards the top

What this covers

What it costs. Prices per square metre and per job, and what moves them, are in the cost guide. Full cost breakdown.

Typical jobs

  • Floor-to-ceiling porcelain in a cloakroom
  • A tiled feature wall in a hallway or behind a bed
  • Utility room walls tiled behind the sink and appliances
  • Ceramic wall tiles on a new stud wall lined with tile backer board
  • Making good and tiling a wall after old tiles have come off

What is involved

Every wall has a weight limit, and the tile you choose has to sit inside it. The limit counts the tile and the adhesive together. BS 5385-1, the British Standard for internal wall tiling, gives about 20 kg per m² for a gypsum plaster finish, because the plaster is only as strong as its bond to the wall behind. Board fixed to studs with no plaster finish takes more, about 32 kg per m², and a cement-based tile backer board more again, to the maker's figure. Large porcelain and natural stone can pass 20 kg per m² once the adhesive is added, so a heavy tile on a plaster finish may mean taking the plaster back or lining the wall first.

Walls are rarely flat enough as they stand. A tiler checks with a long straight edge, fills hollows, and on poor walls may line them with backer board. Fresh plaster has to dry fully before tiling, and a painted wall is keyed or stripped so the adhesive grips the wall rather than the paint. The first full row usually goes on a batten fixed a tile's height up, so the courses stay level even if the floor is not, and the bottom row is cut in last.

Wall layouts are about where the cuts land. A brick bond (offset) pattern hides small errors in a wall better than a straight stack, and tile makers generally advise offsetting long rectangular tiles by no more than a third of their length, because tiles bow slightly in firing and a half offset puts the high points side by side. Trims or mitred edges finish outside corners; ask which you are getting, as they look quite different.

Commonly quoted tile weight limits: plaster about 20 kilograms per square metre, plasterboard about 32 tiled direct and less if painted, cement backer board higher. Check the board maker's figure.01020304050kg/m²Plaster (skim)about 20 kg/m²Plasterboard, paintedless than bare boardPlasterboard, directabout 32 kg/m²Cement backer boardhigher, see the boardCommonly quoted guidance, check the board maker's figure. The weight is tile, adhesive and grouttogether, per square metre of wall.

Choosing someone for the job

Everything on a wall hangs on what the wall is, so start there.

  • What is this wall made of, and can it carry my tile with its adhesive?
  • What needs doing first about old tiles, paint or a poor surface?
  • How will you set out the courses, and what offset will you use for rectangular tiles?
  • Trims or mitred edges on the outside corners?
  • Is silicone at the internal corners and along the bottom row included?

Read next

Common questions

What is the 1/3 offset rule for rectangular tiles?

Long rectangular tiles are slightly bowed from firing, so laying them at a half offset puts the highest points side by side and the edges do not sit flush. Tile makers generally advise an offset of no more than a third of the tile's length.

How heavy a tile can go on a plastered wall?

BS 5385-1 gives about 20 kg per m² for tile and adhesive together on a gypsum plaster finish. Heavier tiles need a stronger background, such as cement-based backer board.

Can you tile over painted walls?

Usually, if the paint is sound and keyed or partly stripped so the adhesive can grip. Vinyl and silk paints are the most likely to let go. A tiler will check by testing the paint's bond first.

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Tilers who take on wall tiling

100 listed tilers say they do this work.

A selection of them

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